CMU Beef Of The Week #136: Big Boi v Outkast fans

Rappers Andre 3000 and Big Boi have been speaking, each in isolation and in very uncertain terms, about the fact that they’re almost certainly not going to collaborate on a new Outkast project any time soon. Nor does it look likely that Andre 3000 – who’s pretty busy flaunting his immaculate facial hair and playing at being Jimi Hendrix, since you ask – will release any solo material, like, ever. But Big Boi is releasing his own non-Andre-3000-featuring solo LP, ‘Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumours’, on 10 Dec, so that’s a nice consolation prize.

Anyway. When interviewed by Rolling Stone about possible new music projects, and in what may be the most noncommittal quote an artist/human has ever given, Andre 3000 said: “Things are kind of up in the air with me, and some days, I feel like yeah, I’ll do it. Some days, I feel like, I don’t. I don’t know the future of music right now. I have no idea what I do. I honestly don’t. I record and I write ideas. I think I’ll always do that, for some reason. But I don’t know if it will go to another artist or will it be my stuff or will it go to some movie? I don’t know. I just kind of keep creating and hopefully, it’ll fall into a slot”.

So glad he shared. But whilst the world waits for 3000’s own music and its “slot” to align, couldn’t he have done a quick guest spot on the aforementioned solo Big Boi record? I mean, he was given the opportunity, or at least so says Big Boi himself. Asked about why his Outkast buddy doesn’t appear on the new record, he told Village Voice: “He could’ve been on any song he wanted to. I gave the motherfucker about five songs, but I guess he was just too busy. He said he had to do some Gillette shit. No for real. He said he had some contractual obligations”.

That remark led some fans to fear that a beef had emerged between the two Outkasters, and many said so on the internet. But no people, no such beef is brewing, and all those Outkast fans who thought there might be are just a bit slow. Or to quote Big Boi on Twitter: “The Gillette Statement was me being Sarcastic, man y’all slow as hell, No Beef between me and Stacks. No More Outkast ?’s will be answered”.

Take that, Outkast fans. Subsequently speaking to MTV’s Rapfix on the topic he added: “I was being sarcastic and they took it and ran with it. It was a vicious misunderstanding, how my man ain’t gonna be on my album to do a shaving commercial? Get the fuck outta here”.

Asked more about his and 3000’s present relationship by a persistent MTV, Big Boi continued: “Yeah, for sure, we’re good. That’s my brother, man. Y’all don’t see us. We do us. So people want an Outkast album so bad they’ll stir up somethin but you can’t break that bond. Until you see me and Dre sit side by side… when you see both of us together then you’ll know it’s coming”.

So, that’s that. No Outkast LP, no Andre 3000 LP, but they’re still talking to each other. And all you beef-mongerers out there are just a bit slow.